Robin
Appearance Robin is always shown in just his costume that is consisted of green tights with black steel-toed boots, a green short-sleeved shirt underneath a red armored vest with a yellow "R" over his left pectoral muscle, a yellow utility belt and a black cape that has a yellow interior. He always has on a black and white domino mask, has his black hair spiked backwards, average-toned skin and an athletic-build. When he is briefly shown as Slade's apprentice, he wears a black bodysuit with armor plating on the legs, knees, forearms, shoulders, the top-half of his suit is split into black and orange sides and an ash-gray utility belt. During the movie "Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo", he briefly changes into a costume with his hair down with black shades and a skinny black suit with a long jacket in order to hide from Tokyo Troopers when he was wanted for the "murder" of Saico-Tek. He took a man into an alley and switched clothes with him. Personality Robin is a natural born leader. In the comics and other incarnations, Robin is even toned and playful despite some outbursts of rage, such as when he learns of his parents' killer and when he eventually stops working as Batman's sidekick (a situation that is mentioned in a roundabout way in the episode Go!). However, in Teen Titans, Robin is closer to Batman; serious, stern, strict and obsessed with hunting down criminals, which is most prominently displayed in the first season. Out of all the villains the team has faced, the one that is most hated is Slade. Robin will stop at nothing to defeat Slade. Robin insists that the two are nothing alike, despite Slade's claims to the contrary. Several encounters with him have lead dangerously close to causing rifts between Robin and his friends. As Starfire and the others have pointed out, Robin must put aside his fixation on Slade and put more trust in his teammates if he wishes to resolve the threat. Another flaw Robin has is he is competitive and still a bit immature but, despite his struggles, Robin has time and again proven to be a great leader. He cares for all of his friends deeply, and will fight to the finish to defend them. History Pre-Teen Titans Robin was born as Richard John "Dick" Grayson to John and Mary Grayson. As a child his parents and him were a family of circus acrobats known as The Flying Graysons. While he was once preparing for a performance he overheard two gangsters who worked for a powerful crime boss named Tony Zucco attempt to extort protection money from the circus owner. The circus owner refused and the two gangsters sabotaged the trapeze wires with acid. At the next performance on the trapeze his parents were swinging from ropes. The ropes snapped and sent them to their deaths. Before he could go to the police, Batman appears to him and warned him that the two gangsters worked for Tony Zucco, a very powerful crime boss, and that revealing his knowledge could lead to his death. He was adopted by Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed by Zucco and became Robin. Together Batman (Bruce) and him disrupted Zucco’s extortion rackets and gambling rackets and then successfully baited the riled Zucco into visiting a construction sight where they captured him. Through the years of working with the Dark Knight as his sidekick to fight crime in Gotham he was greatly trained mentally and physically that in ways no other child was. For reasons undisclosed in the show, but the actual reason being that after being shot Batman tried to take Robin out of the field, Robin thought he was being treated like a kid and was about to give up being a hero, calling it “Kid Stuff” with Batman. Robin eventually left Batman and moved to another city (though it is known to still be close to Gotham) to continue fighting crime, though this time he intended to go solo. He was 17 when he left Batman. Joining Teen Titans Robin met up with Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven when Starfire came to Earth and started destroying the city. After a brief yet fierce confrontation where even the Boy Wonder appeared to meet his match, Robin helped Starfire get free from her chains, who then kissed Robin to learn English. Robin and the others teamed up to find her, and later fought the aliens who came to find and imprison Starfire, shortly after defeating them, Robin gave the others communicators, and later created the Teen Titans and became the leader. Season One With his fellow Teen Titans, self-appointed protectors of Jump City, Robin encountered Slade, the mastermind villian who is Robin's arch rival, responsible for the majority of the villains the Titans clashed with during this time, including the H.I.V.E. and Thunder and Lightning. To infiltrate Slade and learn his plans, Robin became his alter- ego, Red X, and tried to make a deal with Slade. However, Slade outsmarted Robin and discovered his true identity. Later, Slade made Robin his apprentice, threatening he would "annihilate" Robin's friends with nonoscopic probes, which have been injected into them unknowingly while they were diverted, if Robin refused. Having no choice, Robin joined Slade and committed many crimes in his favor, until finally he injected himself with the nanites and threatened Slade with the fact that if he didn't deactivate them, he would lose his "apprentice". Season Two In Season Two, the Titans met Terra who had powers to move Earth. Robin was concerned about Terra joining the team, due to her unstable control over her powers. He tells Terra about it, but she runs away after mistakenly thinking Beast Boy revealed it to the others when Robin had actually realized the truth by himself. Upon her return, he gives her a chance to prove herself to the team, because she had somehow learned to fully control her powers. Titans Tower is soon attacked by Slade's mechanical worms, and thanks to Raven and Terra working together, they manage to stop Slade's plans.As a result, Robin fully trusts Terra and accepts her as an official Teen Titan. Robin begins to get competitive in a fierce card game with the Titans. Suddenly, Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg are transported to a tournament with other male heroes, leaving Starfire and Raven wondering where they have gone. Robin competes in a game where he has to battle the other competitors. Haven beaten everyone, Robin learns the Master of Games is just using the tournament in order to capture and steal the abilities of the heroes. Robin manages to free his friends and together, they defeat the Master of Games. Winner Take All After being on the team for a while, Terra betrays the Titans and deactivates the Titans Tower's security codes to allow Slade's robot commandos to enter the tower. Robin leads the Titans into a battle against Slade's robots and becomes upset that Terra has betrayed them. Not long after, Robin's alter ego, Larry, arrives from another dimension and helps the Titans stop Johnny Rancid after Robin's arm had been fractured while on his R- cycle chasing the villain. Slade and his new apprentice, Terra, appear and attack the Titans off-guard. It is revealed that Slade offered her control over her powers, something the Titans could never offer her, in exchange for her loyalty .Beast Boy manages to convince Robin to give Terra another chance. Robin fights Terra after she had taken down the other Titans, but hesitates when he tries to strike the final blow. Terra takes advantage of this and finishes off Robin. Luckily, Robin had survived, and regrouped with the other Titans underground, who proved to only sustain minor injuries. The Titans resurfaced and prepared to fight Terra again. Terra asks Slade for help, but he mercilessly ignores her, controlling her actions via Terra's suit, which has been fitted with a device that allows Slade to physically control her. In the end, Terra realizes her mistakes, and fought against Slade but awakened a dormant volcano. She knocked him into molten lava and sent the evil mastermind to his doom, but as a consequence of this action, Terra was turned to stone. Season Three In the third season of the show Red X returns, and this time it's not Robin in the suit. Instead of wanting to cause chaos and destroy the city, this Red X only wants Xenothium (a chemical that powers his suit) and to be "number one". Robin takes the blame on himself and goes out to stop X personally. Eventually he is brought back to the lair of a new villain, Professor Chang, and aids Robin with defeating him and freeing the rest of the Titans, though he doesn't take himself as an ally and escapes. X'' Robin's obsessive personality get the better of him, as a mask trapped with some special dust make him see, hear and feel Slade, his old arch-enemy(who was supposedly killed by Terra a the end of season two). Thought the others keep telling him that Slade isn't real, he won't listen and fight a imaginary Slade to his nearly death. While the Titans are worry that he might be going crazy, Raven enters Robin's mind (seeing the death of The Flying Graysons and Robin performing his oath before Batman), creating a bond between them, and see that, in his head, Slade is real. Luckily, Robin managed to understand that what he's seeing is just a powerful illusion just in time to get out of it alive. In the episode Revolution, Robin and the Titans celebrate the fourth of July but it gets interrupted when Mad Mod takes over the city and turns it into England. While trying to stop Mad Mod, Robin is separated from the Titans and Mad Mod uses his high tech cane to drain Robin of his youth force. Mad Mod becomes young again (as he is the episode where he first appears but that was an illusion) while Robin is turned into a frail old man not strong enough to even walk. He is then held as Mod's prisoner. Eventually Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg had a strategy and Beast Boy stole Mad Mod's cane giving it to Robin. Robin then uses it to reverse it's aging effects turning him back to normal and Mod back to an old man. Season Four Robin expresses deep concern for Raven, and is the one who most fully realizes that there is something she is concealing from the other Titans, saying that they have a bond from the events of ''Haunted, but Raven declines to tell him initially, saying there were places in her mind one should never go. The Titans are shocked when Slade resurfaces against the Titans, but is quick to engage him, though he is defeated along with the other Titans. As Robin is about to be crushed by a structure in the collapsing site, compliments of Slade, a distressed Raven taps into her inner power (or, rather, a birthday "gift" from Trigon) and stops time itself briefly. Raven then escapes with Robin, whose efforts to hold Slade back were met with little avail, instead sustaining great harm at his hand, though recovers sufficiently to save Raven from falling down into the streets, saying to her, "Let's go home," and promises her that while not all may be clear, she is safe for now and the danger is over, to which Raven comments that it has "just begun." Season Five In season five, Robin and the Teen Titans are on a globe-spanning adventure, traveling far and wide to warn other heroes around the world about the Brotherhood of Evil and their evil plans. Robin, not knowing it was really Madame Rouge, gave a Titans Communicator to Hot Spot(not real), which helped the Brotherhood of Evil track down every young superhero across the globe. Ding Dong Daddy steals a briefcase from Robin, containing his most prized possession. Robin manages to recover the briefcase, with some help from Red X. Robin is captured by Madame Rouge and joins some of the Honorary Titans in captivity at the Brotherhood's base. However, after reinforcements arrive with Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and Cyborg, Robin is freed and participates in the final battle against the Brotherhood of Evil, defeating the Brotherhood of Evil with the help of the gathered Titans and Honorary Titans. Robin and the other Titans return to Jump City, only to fight a white creature that can transform into its surroundings and use their respective elements as attacks against its enemies. Robin tries to convince a desperate Beast Boy that he didn't really see Terra (knowing of his obsession with seeing Slade in "Haunted"), while he himself wonders if Terra has truly returned. Future Nightwing is Robin's future self, who serves as the sole guardian of Jump City. A break-in by Warp, a thief from 100 years in the future who returns to the past to steal a priceless clock, forces the Titans to confront this new enemy. But Starfire is accidentally thrown 20 years into the future after she snatches a part of Warp's time machine before Warp manages to reach his future. The Teen Titans have disbanded after she had left them 20 years ago. Every one of them is worse off than before, with the exception of Robin, who still enjoys fighting crime by himself. Starfire gets attacked by Warp, who needs the final piece in his time machine so he can return to his future. Robin, who has now become Nightwing, saves Starfire from Warp, but Warp escapes with the final piece needed to fix his time machine. Nightwing uses his old Titans Communicator to reunite the Titans and together they return to the museum where their troubles all started. After Warp attaches the final piece onto his time machine and opens a portal into the future, Nightwing and the rest of the reunited Titans interrupt him. The Titans, led by Nightwing, launch an all-out assault on Warp, defeating him and destroying his time machine. Before the portal can close, the future Cyborg keeps it open with his sonic cannon and begs Starfire to hurry up and return to the past to ensure that the break-up of the Teen Titans would never occur. Nightwing smiles at Starfire and tells her to return the clock that Warp has stolen. Starfire begins to doubt if she could change their future but Nightwing reassures her that she need not worry. Starfire jumps through the portal, while Nightwing and the rest of the future Titans waved good bye. Nightwing has also appeared in Issue #31 of the Teen Titans Go! comics. When an evil Robin from an alternate future teams up with Warp, Nightwing somehow returns to Titans Tower and enlists help from the Teen Titans in order to fight the two villains. When Starfire and Robin fight, she whispers something indiscernible in evil Robin's ear, and he vanishes after a gasp. After Warp retreats, Nightwing goes back to his own timeline and the Teen Titans are enjoying pizza when the good Robin suddenly turns up with no memory about the battle. The evil Robin may have been the good Robin, brainwashed by Warp after returning to Robin's childhood and replacing Batman with himself as Robin's mentor. Relationships Robin & Starfire Starfire is Robin's "love interest" throughout the series. His feelings are clear in his jealous moments; Starfire is very pretty, and boys often flirt with her, which infuriates Robin to no end. It is also seen althroughout the series Robin is always at the side of Starfire. Robin & Raven For many fans, it is believed that Raven and Robin may have a romantic relationship. This is due to the fact that Robin admitted to Raven that the two of them have a "special bond." There are also many other reasons why a romance between them is suggested; their similar personalities and instincts are a few. Robin was able to give Raven enough hope and courage for her to defeat Trigon. Robin & Cyborg It is obvious that Cyborg's laid-back nature and Robin's serious demeanor sometimes clash on missions. Cyborg doesn't like people telling him what to do and is often annoyed by Robin's leadership position. In "Titans East", Cyborg says he is staying with the Titans East because he "finally has a team of his own; is finally a man now," suggesting that he coveted Robin's leadership position. Cyborg has clashed with Robin on a few occasions which resulted in Cyborg quitting the Teen Titans more than once. Despite their differences, they are close friends with a mildly competitive relationship. They even invented a move together called The Sonic Boom. It is revealed that Cyborg is Robin's second-in-command. Robin & Beast Boy Robin and Beast Boy are quite different and the two have clashing personalities. While Beast Boy is free-spirited, carefree, and doesn't exhibit much intellectual strength, Robin is very focused, smart and serious. Despite their different personalities though, the comics have portrayed both of them as having very similar pasts, even if they both have a mutual ignorance of this fact. Robin and Terra Robin's relationship with Terra is complicated, to say the least. It can be assumed that Terra initially greatly respected Robin, having easily identified him upon their first encounter and was clearly enthused to meet him and the rest of the Titans. In turn, Robin along with the rest of the Titans, with the exception of Raven, marvelled at her great geokinetic abilities upon her demonstration during a training session back at Titan headquarters. Robin had always wanted Terra to join the Teen Titans, however when he noticed and expressed concern over her evident lack of complete control over her powers, it caused Terra to believe Beast Boy betrayed her trust and told Robin and the others of her lack of control, despite it being evident, and left the Titans, feeling betrayed and hurt. Robin however did not get the chance to explain to Terra that he was still willing to allow her to join despite her lack of mastery of her powers. This misunderstanding caused a rift between the two, and even after rejoining the Teen Titans, it appears that Terra still harbored some dislike towards Robin. This may have also been one of the reasons why she betrayed the Titans to Slade. Robin, however, had consistantly believed in Terra, even convincing Raven to work alongside Terra when she had suspected her to be hiding a secret. When she finally did betray the Titans and fought them to bring them down, Robin was her last target to be vanquished. After a fight in which Robin wins, he did not deal the final blow, still asking Terra to join them and become good, telling her of his previous ties to Slade. Terra takes advantage of Robin's moment of weakness and defeats him with a boulder. When the Titans resurface and attack her, Robin and the rest of the Titans finally hold nothing back, showing no more mercy for her betrayal, and are almost effortlessly able to overpower her. Robin ultimately forgave her for her crimes when she turned against Slade, and sacrificed herself to save the city from a triggered volcano. After her sacrifice, Robin continues to honor her bravery and her final decision to help the Titans. Robin & Slade Slade has always been Robin's worst enemy. Robin hated Slade from the moment he learned Slade's name. Slade had constantly been testing Robin to see if he was a worthy apprentice, but abandons this mission after he replaces Robin with Terra, because she was more willing to follow instructions than Robin. The relationship between Robin and Slade had never been easy. Robin hates Slade with every bone in his body. He will do anything to bring down Slade, even if it means giving up his life in the process. Due to his stubborn determination, he has fallen into Slade's traps many times before. Although Robin doesn't realize it, Slade actually doesn't treat Robin as an enemy, as seen in the episode Masks, where Slade actually saves Robin's life. Robin has never been grateful for this; however, but they are forced to team up after Trigon threatens to destroy the world. Together they venture into the underworld, each in search of something different. Robin is trying to recover Raven and return before Trigon destroys her. Slade however is only trying to reclaim his soul after he is raised from the dead by Trigon, only to be double-crossed and stripped of his mortality, leaving him as a living dead. Then slades mask came off and reveiled that his face is actully a skull.. For the first time they are united under a single cause, albeit reluctantly. However they help each other during their quest and eventually they both get what they had come to get. During the final battle with Trigon, Slade helps out by slicing off one of Trigon's horns, proving to Raven that her father can be hurt. During this brief alliance Robin and Slade get to understand each other better, but after Trigon is defeated by Raven, Slade escapes before he can be captured by the Titans. Abilities and Traits Though Robin technically possesses no true superhuman powers, his courage, skill, experience, determination and personal strengths are enough to make him a highly formidable adversaries even for those with superhuman abilities. Having undergone an evidently vigorous and intensive training regimen under Batman, perhaps the world’s most skilled hand-to-hand combatant, Robin has exercised physical form to the pinnacle of human perfection, surpassing even the finest of athletes in combat proficiency and power, to such a scale that he has been called a "one-man army" by the Master of Games. Intimidation: It is known that Robin has the ability to instill fear in others, even the people that know him best can be intimidated by him. Master Acrobat: Excellent in gymnastics and acrobatics. Peak Human Conditioning: Through intense training, Robin represents the pinnacle of human physical ability. His physical characteristics are greater than that of even an Olympic level athlete. His strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, durability, senses and coordination are at peak human perfection as possible for one of his age, to improve even further with continued physical and mental growth. Robin engages in intense regular rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peak condition, and has often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers are much higher than his own. He has spent his entire life in pursuit of physical perfection and has attained it through constant intensive training and determination, to the point that, in Apprentice Part 2, he is able to take on all of his teammates at once and beat them (this is particularly significant as he is not trying to hurt them.) *''Peak Human Strength: He is arguably one of the "strongest" Non-metahumans on Earth. He has been seen punching out opponents that are larger than him and that are nearly invulnerable like Cinderblock. In the episode "The Quest", Robin is able to support a large about 800 pound bear guardian on his back. *Peak Human Reflexes: Robin's reflexes are amazing. He can leap large distances and he can dodge point blank projectile fire and has done so many times in the series. *Peak Human Speed: Robin is shown to be able to run at above average speed. *Peak Human Endurance: Robin's endurance is greater than any human shown in the series. Robin can go a long period of time without stopping and fixes himself on his work like in "Haunted" and "X". *Peak Human Agility: His agility is greater than that of an acrobat. He was raised in an acrobat family known as the "Flying Graysons" and began agility training at the earliest age. He is shown to be able to scale the city buildings. *Peak Human Durability: Robin has been shown to be able to handle the worst hits and impacts without giving out. '''Martial Arts Master': Robin is one of the finest human combatants on Earth, his skills honed to such a level even superhumans and armed adversaries can be overpowered by them. He has mastered several different martial arts styles from across the world, learned from the Dark Knight and "The True Master." He even knows some alien martial arts as seen in "Sisters". Master of Stealth: Robin, despite the bright colors he wears, is a master at stealth, capable of breaching high security facilities with ease, without being detected. Expert Marksman: Robin almost never misses a target with his various weapons. Master Detective: Robin is an expert detective and logical thinker, able to solve cases before anyone else. Master Tactician and Strategist: Robin comes up with excellent strategic plans to expose and defeat criminals, always aiming to "work smarter, not harder." Escapologist: Robin is shown to be able to escape even the most elaborate of traps. Tracking: Robin is shown to be able to pick up a criminal's trail long after any given crime. Master of Disguise: Robin's Red X disguise fooled even the Teen Titans. Expert Thief: Robin has shown that he's quick well at playing the role of a thief, as he had shown when he went around as Red X and when he had swiped X's belt in "X" Expert Mechanic and Vehicle Driver: Excellent at motorcycle driving. Robin was also responsible for the creation of the high-tech Red X suit, capable of defeating multiple superhumans with ease, and he and Cyborg developed the T-Communicators. He has also used the Tower's own technology proficiently, including its computer and his own laptop. Transportation Robin usually uses his R-Cycle in pursuits and for short-distance travelling (first seen in "Date With Destiny" chasing after Fang on a one-man pursuit). Robin also used a Glider which is built into a modified version of his costume; he uses this along with his R-Cycle to pick up speed and then jumps off to glide or (with flight thrusters built into the boots) achieve full flight capability. It can be noted that, multiple times throughout the series, Robin is carried by Starfire over short distances. Weapons Robin's costume incorporates a cape made of high-density polymerized titanium that serves as flexible armor and has resilience to various kinds of high-intensity flame, even that generated by superhumans, such as Hot Spot. Robin's main melee weapon is a collapsible steel bo-staff of high durability, though on one occasion he has been known to use steel tonfas as well, and in some situations he can combine two birdarangs to produce a sword blade. In addition, Robin wears an utility belt, which gives him access to a wide array of additional tools and weapons, including: *Disc Grenades with a variety of payloads (high explosives, freon, fire extinguishing foam, ice bombs) *Birdarangs *Grappling hook shooters *Lockpicks *Gas and smoke pellets *A collapsible bo-staff (possibly made from bi-structural steel alloy) It is later revealed in the comics that Robin's weapon arsenal had expanded as he became Nightwing. This is most obvious in his preferred choice of two metal Escrima sticks. Identity Unlike most other superhero television series, the Teen Titans characters maintain their superhero identities at all times, though the series hints at the concept of an alter ego or secret identity but rarely explores it. The Titans have even been seen sleeping in their costumes. In particular, some fans debated which Robin leads the Teen Titans, although it was revealed in Teen Titans Go! #47 that Robin's secret identity is in fact Dick Grayson. Many times throughout the animated series, however, it is strongly implied that Robin is Dick Grayson: *In the series, Robin falls in love with Starfire. In the comics, Dick Grayson falls in love with Starfire. *Robin rejects Slade, he says "I already have a father.", referring to Robin's mentor, Batman. *Robin's alternate dimensional counterpart Larry gives us his real name "nosyarG kciD ("Dick Grayson" spelled backwards). *When Starfire is thrust into the future, Robin has taken on Grayson's identity of Nightwing. *When Raven goes into Robin's mind, it shows Robin swearing an oath to Batman (Dick Grayson had to perform an oath to Batman before he became Robin); there is also a short memory of two acrobats falling from a trapeze, a reference to how Dick Grayson became Robin. *Red X pulls Robin's mask, and his flesh goes with it as if glued on (a cartoon sequence); in the comics Dick Grayson (as Nightwing) admitted to using a type of glue to get his mask to stay on. *Robin's hair is styled in the same manner as that of Dick Grayson. *After a stream of bats go by, a crook asks, "Hey, this isn't your town! Aren't you supposed to be with — " but then is interrupted by Robin, who replies "I just moved here. And from now on, I work alone,"; this could reference the tragic breakup of Dick Grayson (Robin) and Bruce Wayne (Batman) as the Dynamic Duo. Trivia *Robin refers to Batman briefly. When Slade says he will be like a father to Robin, he replies,"I already have a father." And bats are subsequently seen flying out of the building.Apprentice - Part 1 *After attempting to steal a weapon for Slade, Robin escapes to the roof where he fights the rest of the Titans. One of the giant signs on the roof says Wayne Enterprises, indicating that Robin had been made to steal from Wayne Industries, Bruce Wayne's company.Apprentice - Part 2 * In the TV show, Static Shock, ''Static, the main character, meets up with Batman. When Static asks where Robin is, having met him before, Batman answers "He's with the Titans" and that he will meet them someday.''Static Shock *In the comics there have been several different Robins. There was Dick Grayson (the original Boy Wonder), Jason Todd (kidnapped by The Joker, tortured and killed, then resurrected to become the Red Hood), Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown (the first female Robin), and Damian Wayne (Bruce's son with Talia al Ghul). Damian is the current Robin. *In a Cartoon Network 2004 commercial/bumper, Robin has his own energy drink and vending machine. *Robin has appeared in the most episodes, only missing the episodes Lightspeed and For Real. *In fan fiction, Robin's uniform is often referred to as a traffic light ensemble. *Robin is one of the main characters in the new series Young Justice. However, as Robin, he is only 13 years old. 5 years later, he takes up the identity Nightwing and passes on Robin to Tim Drake. 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